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How to remember a speechHow to remember a speech easily using the timeless 'Once upon a time' story format Permalink -- click for full blog post "How to remember a speech" Acute Anxiety HelpAcute anxiety help: 16 effective tips to successfully overcome fear of public speaking. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Acute Anxiety Help " Action Verbs for Dynamic Speech WritingAction verbs give your speech color and passion telling your story precisely and powerfully. They set a scene or change a mood quickly and concisely. Get the sizzle of succinct action verbs now. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Action Verbs for Dynamic Speech Writing" Simple Characterization Techniques for Storytelling in SpeechesCharacterization techniques breathe life into your storytelling. Learn simple, fun and effective ways to make the stories that are part of your speeches vibrantly alive. Church Welcome Speech SampleA church welcome speech sample: sincere, brief and simple. Use it as a template to prepare your own. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Church Welcome Speech Sample" How to Use PropsMake your presentation really 'zing' by learning how to use props or visual aids effectively: 10 tips for speakers. Permalink -- click for full blog post "How to Use Props" Interesting speech topics - finding the wow factorInteresting speech topics - dozens of speech topic ideas with a twist to make your speech captivating and relevant to your audience. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Interesting speech topics - finding the wow factor" Demonstrative Speech TopicsGood demonstrative speech topics by the dozens to help you choose the best visual aids speech topic: business, frugal living, be prepared safety, caring, entertainment & public speaking themed. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Demonstrative Speech Topics" How to Memorize a SpeechHow to memorize a speech easily using an acronym as a mnemonic or memory aid with examples Permalink -- click for full blog post "How to Memorize a Speech" Good Persuasive Speech TopicsGood persuasive speech topics: 50 super-starter persuasive speech ideas plus 'how-to' craft a good persuasive speech. Download a blank Monroe's Motivated Sequence speech outline to complete Permalink -- click for full blog post "Good Persuasive Speech Topics" Your Tips and SpeechesShare your public speaking tips and speeches - How did you overcome fear of public speaking? Got a great speech? Submit it here and help others succeed. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Your Tips and Speeches" Public Speaking NewsPublic Speaking News - real time and world wide public speaking stories, fresh as they happen, 24/7 Permalink -- click for full blog post "Public Speaking News" Sample Tribute Speech For My MotherA sample tribute speech to help you prepare your own: read the tribute speech for my mother and use the outline provided to easily begin the process Permalink -- click for full blog post "Sample Tribute Speech For My Mother" Effective Listening SkillsDeveloping effective listening skills: 10 tips for speakers who want to do more than talk. Why? Because good communication is a partnership between speaking and listening. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Effective Listening Skills" Christmas Speech SampleChristmas speech sample: celebrate simply and sincerely. Use this easily adaptable sample speech as a starting point to write your own. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Christmas Speech Sample" Sample Speech OutlineDownload this sample speech outline template to help prepare a successful speech with easily followed step by step guidelines and examples. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Sample Speech Outline" Presentation skills plusPresentation skills plus: an interview with TEDx organizer and speech coach Yolanthe Smit on her work; helping non-native English speakers prepare speeches. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Presentation skills plus" Thank You QuotesThank you quotes: 30+ examples to help you say 'thank-you' creatively in a thank you speech Permalink -- click for full blog post "Thank You Quotes" Speech Topics for ChildrenDozens of speech topics for children in middle school. Choose from Community & Social Issues, Arts & Culture, Fun & Whimsy, Sports & Games, Food, Seasons & Nature, Animals, Birds & Fish or Hobbies Permalink -- click for full blog post "Speech Topics for Children" Elocution Topics for KidsElocution Topics for Kids: 50+ ideas to help choose speech topics for children from the child's perspective. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Elocution Topics for Kids" How to Write a SpeechHow to write a speech - easy to follow step by step guidelines, plus a summary speech writing checklist. Permalink -- click for full blog post "How to Write a Speech" Anxiety and Public SpeakingAnxiety and public speaking: 6 post-speech strategies to minimize recurring public speaking fear Permalink -- click for full blog post "Anxiety and Public Speaking" Stop Public Speaking Panic AttacksPublic speaking panic attacks - how to successfully and easily conquer extreme public speaking anxiety Permalink -- click for full blog post "Stop Public Speaking Panic Attacks " The Fight or Flight Response ExplainedYou can thank the fight or flight response, an ancient survival mechanism, for any physical manifestations of anxiety you experience. Regardless of their intensity, all of them are normal. Read more.. Permalink -- click for full blog post "The Fight or Flight Response Explained" Quick and Easy Effective Tips for Using PausesSilence speaks LOUDER than words. Quick and easy effective tips for using pauses in speeches. Learn how, when and why to make silence part of your presentation. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Quick and Easy Effective Tips for Using Pauses" How to End a Speech MemorablyHow to end a speech effectively - 3 examples of good speech endings to help you prepare a powerful closing statement for your speech. Permalink -- click for full blog post "How to End a Speech Memorably" Fun Public Speaking ActivitiesPublic speaking activities: 5 fun public speaking exercises to develop fluency and confidence Permalink -- click for full blog post "Fun Public Speaking Activities" Sponsorship AdvertisingSponsorship advertising - Reach 1,000s of unique visitors a day looking for public speaking help Permalink -- click for full blog post "Sponsorship Advertising" Public Speaking GamesPublic Speaking Games: 7 fun-filled games to encourage imagination, fluency and confidence. Easily adaptable to suit kids of all ages. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Public Speaking Games" How is your Teacher's Voice?A dynamic teachers voice has the power to inspire students. It is excited and passion filled, making students want to listen and learn. Is your voice tired? Find out how to easily add vocal variety. Permalink -- click for full blog post "How is your Teacher's Voice?" Using a Public Speaking Rubric
Do you wonder how you get the grades you do when you give a presentation? Or perhaps you're the one DOING the grading and can't clearly figure out how to distinguish between Excellent and Good or Fair and Average? Here's the link to a page featuring the 5 point scale public speaking rubric I used in my own teaching and to make it more useful I've included all the grading criteria for each of the 15 elements rated. You'll see exactly why a person received the grading they did. For example here's 'fluency'. Fluency, absence of fillers, ums, ahs: To see the grading discriptors for the remaining 14 elements or to download the rubric for your own use click the link below. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Using a Public Speaking Rubric" Voice Image SecretsVoice image can make or break a career yet very few people consciously control what their voice says about who they are. It's not the actual words but how they're spoken that makes the difference. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Voice Image Secrets" Speech EvaluationSpeech evaluation: Get or give valuable feedback with this 5 point scale printable speech evaluation template covering all aspects of a public speaking presentation. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Speech Evaluation" The Power of Positive ThoughtsCan the power of positive thoughts change your world? Download a free PDF of James Allen's classic 'As a Man Thinketh' & find out why changing your mind is good for you. Permalink -- click for full blog post "The Power of Positive Thoughts" How To Speech IdeasHow to speech ideas: 50 how to topics focusing on toughening up the vital soft skills needed for successful interpersonal relationships. Permalink -- click for full blog post "How To Speech Ideas" Public Speaking Nerves: Reality Checking
It's a total disaster, a catastrophe, a major debacle of gigantic proportions... Try checking the reality of your public speaking nerves against a scale. If your present state of mind was on a scale of 1-10 where would it be? Are you likely to die through giving a speech? Is the world ending? Are your loved ones threatened? What is the very worst case scenario that public speaking nerves can cause? Your answer will put fear in perspective. Once it's there it is much more manageable. If the very worst that can happen is forgetting what you're going to say, you can do something about it. It's called practice! If it's something beyond your control, a tidal wave washing away the entire building, check it for the likelihood of occurrence and let it go. You can truly only ever control what is within your reach. Attempting anything else is futile and a waste of your energy. Accept and focus on what you can do right now. Fears retreat when they're faced. What you thought was 7 or 8 on the scale when you stood up to speak becomes 5 when you've remembered to breathe properly. By the time you're into your speech and the benefits of practice kick in, it's 3 and those public speaking nerves are fading fast. For 4 more strategies toward speaking confidently click the link below. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Public Speaking Nerves: Reality Checking" Professional Motivational Speaker - Kevin BiggarProfessional motivational speaker, Kevin Biggar - transatlantic rowing race winner and South Pole adventurer shares how he went from couch potato to speaking to motivate others Permalink -- click for full blog post "Professional Motivational Speaker - Kevin Biggar" Commemorative speech topic: Topics to inspire your audienceCommemorative speech topic: How to find the right one for your commemorative speech. Topic suggestions and research links to make the process painless. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Commemorative speech topic: Topics to inspire your audience" Voice HealthGood voice health for professional speakers, teachers, call-center workers, coaches...Get the facts here Permalink -- click for full blog post "Voice Health" How to Increase Your Word PowerHow to increase your word power: multiple tips to help you grow your vocabulary, gain confidence and discover the delight of language diversity. Permalink -- click for full blog post "How to Increase Your Word Power" Impromptu Public Speaking Topics50 impromptu public speaking topics to sharpen impromptu public speaking skills Permalink -- click for full blog post "Impromptu Public Speaking Topics" Eulogy for DadMy dad was a man of many names. Literally.Some, possibly most, of you know him as “Vic” or “Victor.” His more recent friends - and those old friends Permalink -- click for full blog post "Eulogy for Dad" Welcome Address
'Help! I need a welcome address for a meeting, a school function, my cousin's wedding ... {insert the occasion}. Please write me one. I need it for tomorrow.' This is a paraphrase of emails I receive fairly frequently via my contact form. It seems that putting together a welcome speech terrifies some people. Perhaps it's in part because this is the speech that will set the tone for the occasion to come and understandably, they want to get it right. I tell them to use the S-S-S formula: Short, Simple and Sincere and send them to my welcome speech page to follow the template laid out there and to read a sample welcome address. I don't write the speech for them. How does that make me feel? Mean, sometimes. I would like to be able to take away all the fear and anxiety underlying those requests but I can't for lots of reasons. For starters, I don't have the information I need to even begin: an overview of the event, its purpose and cultural context, names of honored guests and so on. And even if I did have all that data the exercise would be still be fraught with difficulties. However having a good template to follow is great start and crafting your own speech does more to eradicate fear than giving one that somebody else put together for you. Yes, it's scary. But it is doable.If you need a welcome address put aside your anxiety, resist procrastination and check out the link. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Welcome Address" Humorous Retirement SpeechHere's a humorous retirement speech I helped a friend write. It's posted here with his permission.The setting was his company staffroom. The staff were Permalink -- click for full blog post "Humorous Retirement Speech" Using Cue Cards
To cue or not to cue? That is the question. Do you write out your full speech and read it or do you use speech outline prompts on cue cards and deliver it largely from memory? I've done both and the experience it delivers is different. The occasions I've used a full script have been when I've rushed through preparing my speech and haven't allowed enough time to thoroughly practice to the point of being comfortable without the word for word text. The result is I'm for cue cards. And I'm for cue cards ahead of completely memorizing my speech too. The reason for that is if I've learnt something by rote (word for word) and have a memory blip, it's difficult without a prompt to begin again.
If you haven't tried using cue cards, do! You'll find full instructions on how to make them by clicking the link. I promise that once you've experienced the freedom of not being slavishly tied to a script, you'll realize you've lifted your public speaking up a notch. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Using Cue Cards" Student Council Speeches - How to write your speechStudent Council Speeches - a student council speech template to help create your winning 'vote for me' speech with planning and delivery guidelines. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Student Council Speeches - How to write your speech" Sample EulogySample eulogy to read to stimulate ideas for the funeral speech you need to write. There are two here; different in style, unique, as were the people they celebrate. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Sample Eulogy" Free Word GamesFree word games - improv speech and drama games for fun; spontaneity and confidence building. Suitable for 13+ yrs Permalink -- click for full blog post "Free Word Games" Improv Games: Icebreakers for Speech and Drama ClassesImprov games - 5 superb drama games to sharpen focus and concentration, encourage mental flexibility while developing awareness of body language and communication. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Improv Games: Icebreakers for Speech and Drama Classes" |
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